Loose-leaf binder.



W. S. PROUDFIT.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I5, I9II.

Patented Apr. 171', 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. PROUDFET. LOOSE LEAF BINDER. APPLICATION FILED IurIE 15'. 1911.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917. 4 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 6, 2712? 6. 3740442y-M/ A3 3l l me "anni: Puurs ce.. Nom-Luna.. wAsmNn nm. u c,

W. S. PHOUUFIT. LOOSE LEAF BINDER. M'Pucmmw FILED lum 15. 1911.

Lf. Fammi Apr. 17,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ur/jTNEssgs.- IN VEN TOR. Wnff @www m4,: LA i l WILLIAM S. PROUDFIT, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1?, 191'?.

Application filed June 15, 1911. Serial No. 633,434.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, VILLIAM S.' PROUD- Frr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following` is a specification.

My present invention relates to loose leaf binders-such as have flexible leaf-holding bandsand its objects are: first, to provide improved means for adjusting the length of the leaf-engaging portion of such bands: second, to provide improved quickly-operated slackening devices for said bands: third, to provide improved means for operatively attaching the end portions of such bands to certain other parts of the binder: fourth, to provide improved means for securely anchoring such parts to the body of the binder: fifth, to provide means for disposing` the bearing engagement of said bands on such parts thereof as can best sustain it; and finally, to provide such a binder improved in other and further particulars hereinafter appearing.

These objects are attained by, and the invention finds a preferable embodiment in, the structures hereinafter described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the opened interior of sucli Structure, the leaf body (i. e. the removable leaves) being absent, and certain parts being broken away: y

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, but showing leaves in the binder:

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of certain parts on line 8 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 4 is a like view on line 4 of said figure:

Fig. 5 is a similar view on line 5 thereof:

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views in perspective of coperating members of attaching and adjusting devices for said bands:

Fig. 8 is a detail plan View of means for securely anchoring to the body of the binder the parts to which such bands are operatively attached; and

Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating a variant form of my invention.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary View showing in side elevation additional means for adjusting the bands 13 on the cover: and

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the same.

United States patents (Nos. 860,885,

958,170, 958,171, 1,037,311, 1,oa7,a15),11ave been issued to me which cover the broadest features of the structures shown in the accompanying drawings; this my present application being made for improvements on, or additions to, the inventions of such pattents and applications.

In the structures illustrated ings:

rlhe covers 10 and 11 are pivoted at Q8 to the back 12; flexible leaf-holding bands- 4T in Fig. 9, and 13 in the other iiguresextend between the covers and may be, (and in the constructions shown are intended to be) resilient, so as to be flexed by the opening and closing` movement of the covers in order that the inner edge of the leaf body may be arched outwardly or away from the back by such flexing caused by opening the covers, (as particularly shown in solid lines in Fig. 2), and oppositely by the contrary flexing of the bands in closing the covers, (as indicated in broken lines in said figure) g these liexible bands, whether thus resilient or otherwise, being longitudinally movable relatively to one or both of the covers, may be secured in such adjusted relation thereto as to adapt the binder to a vcontained leafbody of varying thickness; the bands are slidable in guides 19 formed on the base plates 14 and 31 carried by the respective covers, and at one end are secured, in step by step adjustment to one cover, by holding lugs 15 carried by such cover andengaging a desired one of suitable orifices 1G or 51, the bands beingheld on the lugs by wire keepers 17 removably sprung into oppositely faced catches 18; wear-plates 26 through which the bands pass at 27 protect the leaf body from abrasion by the binding edges 25 of the covers; to the free end of a toggle arm 29 or 52, pivoted at 30 on the other cover 11, the bands are pivotally connected at their other ends, so that, as the toggle arm is swung to the position shown in solid lines,l in the drawings, the bands are simultaneously drawn to their normal or operative position and when the toggle arm in the drawis oppositely swung, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, they are slackened, and looped up as similarly indicated in nthat figure.

The foregoing structures as thus broadly described, I have improved or supplemented, as follows:

To detachably connect one end portion of the leaf-holding bands to the toggle arm pivotally, I provide cooperating members 37 and 38, severally shown in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively, and illustrated as assembled in Figs. 1 and 3: these members, by the guides 41 of member 37 slidably embracing the other member 38, retain the band between them, and detachably connect it pivotally to the toggle arm 29, receiving` the rockjournal of the toggle arm in an open bearing 44 on member 37, wherein it is securely held in the assembled condition of the parts. The other member 33 carries a post 39 adapted to engage a desired one of suitable orifices 16 in the band.

The length of the leaf-engaging portion oiE the band 13 may be minutely adjusted by moving longitudinally these members 37 and 38 relatively on the guides 41 and slot bearing 40 in which the post 39 is slidable, and then holding such members in the desired adjustment by engaging the lugs 43 of member 38 with the proper notches 42 of mem` ber 37; the members are securely held in suoli adjustment with each other, and in their connection with the leaf-holding band. by the spring character of one or both members, (particularly by the spring extensions 45 of member 37), whereby however, the members may be sprung apart suiiiciently to disengage the lugs 43 and notches 44 and also the post 39 and orifices 16, so that the desired adjustments may be made and also that the parts may be disassembled. 1When these members 37 and 38 are removed from the bands, such bands may be readily threaded through the usual notches in the binding edge of the entire leaf body.

In the construction shown in Fig. 9, both ends o1 the leaf-holding bands 47 are provided with members in separate pieces therefrom whereby they are operatively attached to the other parts of the binder: this construction is especially adapted for use where leather strips-as rawhide*and the like, are used for the body portion 47 of such bands, instead of employing spring steel continuous bands as in the structure illustrated in the other figures. Such an attaching member 50 (of metal) is pivotally connected with the toggle arm 52 and, as by its button shown adapted to engage a desired one of suitable orifices 48, is detachably and longitudinally adjustably fastened to one end portion of the rawhide band 47; while another metallic attaching member 49, more minutely adjustable longitudinally (by means of a desired one of its orifices 51 engaging the holding lug 15 carried by the other cover 10), is in similar manner detachably fastened to the other end portion of the holding band 47. l

One or more latches 32, 53, pivoted at 33 on the cover l1, engage and hold the toggle arm in its band-holding position shown in solid lines in the drawings; and to relieve the strain on their pivots, they are provided with lugs 34 remote Vfrom such pivots and adapted to engage (in the latches operative position) with suitable sockets 35 in the cover; and to minimise the requisite turning movement of the latches 32, their catch portions 36 engage (as shownpin Fig. 1) a portion of the toggle arm at right angles to its axis at 30. f Y

The members (in the structures shownYV the metal plates 14 and 31), on which the band-holding and band-slackening devices are mounted, are securely anchored to the respective covers in the following' manner: In constructing the covers an anchor plate 22 is built iii-between layers of cover-forming material-and may be provided with orifices 24 adapted to be filled with the adhesive used in cementing such layers, thus to more securely hold it in position. This anchor plate has tongues 23 thrust through the inner layer of the cover and adapted, when the binder is to be finished, to be passed through registering orifices, as shown, in the respective members 14 and 31 and thereupon clenched down on such members, thereby securely anchoring the same in place. It will be seen that the band-holding and band-slaclening devices may thus be applied after the binder has been otherwise completely finished.

In order to dispose the bearing engagement of the leaf-holding bands on such parts thereof as are best able to sustain it, l provide bearings, on which such bands are flexed, that are slightly convexin a plane corresponding with the cross-section of the band, as appears in Fig. 5 in the case of the guides 19, and at 21 in Fig. 1 in the case of the inner or binding edge of the covers: by this means whatever stress there may be is brought first and mainly on the middle of the band and later and to less degree on its edges.

Additional means for adjusting the bands 13 on the cover 11 may be provided by mounting the pivotal points 30 of the rod 29 on plates 100 which are slidably mounted on pla-te 31 to move toward and away from the binding edge of the cover.

Not confining myself to details of construction shown or described, I claim 1. In a device of the class described, covers having a stiff binding edge, a back connecting said covers and hinged thereto some distance from the extreme bindingl edge, leaf holding bands bridging the space between the binding edges of the covers, said parts being so arranged and constructed that the leaf holding bands with the leaves thereon will assume a position curved away from the back when the covers are opened and will assume a position curved in an opposite direction when the covers are closed, and both ends of each of said leaf holding bands being detachably secured to their respective covers for the purpose of threading the bands through the leaves.

2. In a loose leaf binder, covers, a member pivotally connected to one cover to swing toward and away from the binding edge thereof, and a leaf holding member having one end adjustably connected to said first named member and the other end adjustably connected to the other cover.

3. In a loose leaf binder, a cover, a leaf holding band, a nonstraight rod pivotally mounted on the cover to swing toward and away from the binding edge of the cover, means for detachably connecting one end of said leaf holding band to said rod and means whereby the pivotal point of said rod can be adjusted in a position nearer to or farther from the binding edge of the cover.

4. In a loose leaf binder, a cover, a leaf holding` band secured to the cover and eX- tending over the binding edge of the cover at right angles thereto, a guide lip and a guide strip near the binding edge of the cover between which the said band freely passes, the center portion of said lip and the center portion of said strip curved toward the band so as to contact with and bring the strain on the central portion of the band.

In a loose leaf binder, a cover, a toggle arm pivoted on the cover to swing toward and away from the binding edge of the cover, a leaf holding band pivotally connected to the free end of the toggle arm, and meansfor adjusting the pivotal point of the toggle arm toward and away from said binding edge.

6. In a loose leaf binder, a cover, a leaf holding band provided with a perforation, means for adjustably and detachably connecting one end of said band to said cover comprising a rod pivoted to the cover to swing toward and away from the binding edge thereof and a two piece spring clip provided with a lateral extension on one piece to engage a notch on the other piece such clip being also provided with an extension adapted to engage the perforation in the leafholding band.

7. In a loose leaf binder, means for adjustably and detachably pivoting a leaf holding band provided with perforations to a swinging rod comprising a Spring clip above the band provided with a central perforation, a series of notches in its edge, a loop formed in the body thereof to receive said rod and a pair of holding lugs, and a second spring clip below the band and above the holding lugs of said first named clip provided with a central lateral eXtension to pass through a perforation in the band and the central perforation in the upper clip. and a laterally extending lug to enter one of the notches of the series in the edge of the upper clip.

S. In a loose leaf binder, a cover, a flexible leaf holding band secured to the cover and extending over its binding edge, and on the cover a bearing over which the band is adapted to be flexed, the middle portion of said bearing being convexed toward the band so as to contact therewith and create the strain on the bands central portion.

IVILLIAM S. PROUDFIT. lVitnesses R. J. JACKER, J. M. PRoUDrrr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

